Shaped Familiar Objects

A pioneer in industrial de sign in the United States, Henry Dreyfuss was respon sible for the looks of everything from clocks—Big Ben and Baby Ben—and cameras to trains and ocean liners.

Among the machines and devices to which he applied his talents were the 20th Century Limited, the S.S. Constitution and her sister ship, the Inde pendence; the interior of the Boeing 707 for American Air lines, telephones for Bell Labo ratories, farm equipment for John Deere, and household ap pliances.

But of all the things whose appearance and utility he en hanced, he was said to be most proud of the prosthetic devices he designed for war victims shorn of limbs.

Through most of his career, Mr. Dreyfus was assisted by his wife, the former Doris Marks, who served as his busi ness manager.

When she went to work for Mr. Dreyfuss in 1929, a year before their marriage, he had recently embarked on a career in industrial design after enjoy ing success as a stage designer, a craft he had entered at the age of 19. Increasingly, how ever, he had become interested in the manufacture and mer chandising of products and had come to believe that the best way to proceed was by work ing closely with manufacturers.

According to colleagues, the inspiration for his switch in careers (he had designed for such stage hits as “The Last Mile” and “Fine and Dandy”) was an invitation from an ex ecutive of R. H. Macy to walk through the store and suggest changes in merchandise. Mr. Dreyfuss concluded that direct suggestion to manufacturers might be welcomed.

The concèrn he founded as Henry Dreyfuss & Associates, continues today, as Henry Drey fuss Associates at 888 Seventh Avenue.

Mr. Dreyfuss, who was born in New York on March 2, 1904, retired from the concern in 1969 and his associates con tinued its work. He and Mrs. Dreyfuss, who was born here on March 3, 1903, maintained an apartment at the Plaza Hotel.

Although retired, Mr. Drey fuss continued to work at an office near the home he had designed in California.

Early this year, the Hallmark Gallery here displayed symbols drawn from a collection amass ed by Mr. Dreyfuss and pre pared for his international dic tionary of symbols, “Symbols Sourcebook.”

Discussing the symbols, he said, “I'm an industrialist. I've always felt it was a matter of safety that people could read a symbol so much faster—just get it at a glance— than a series of words.”

Among his other books were “The Measure of Man,” pub lished in 1959, reissued in 1967 and “Designing for People,” first published in 1955.

Mrs. Dreyfuss, who was named woman of the year by The Los Angeles Times in 1963, served on the boards of the Associates of California Insti tute of Technology, the Foot hills Family Service and the Pasadena Humane Society.

Mr. Dreyfuss had been a member of the faculty at the California Institute and a trus tee and a member of the fac ulty at the University of Cali fornia at Los Angeles, and a trustee or board member of several organizations as well as the recipient of numerous awards for his achievements.

There will be no funeral service. A memorial service, in about two weeks, is planned.

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A version of this archives appears in print on October 6, 1972, on Page 46 of the New York edition with the headline: Shaped Familiar Objects. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe